Mother's Day in the Middle East

The word for mother in Arabic is “Um” or “Umi”

Mother’s Day is celebrated on March 21 in the Middle East, marking the start of spring. A mother’s scent is what children recollect the most. Years after separation, children will recall their mother’s scent when they remember moments with them even as adults. Laurel soap scent is one of these common scents that most Syrian children remember when they think of their mothers. You can find laurel soap in every Syrian house. It is used for bathing and washing clothes, and the remaining soap bar can be used for storage in closets and drawers.  So even the clothes and linens smell fresh laurel.

Arabic mother's day is celebrated on March 21st.

The Arabic mother's day is of great importance because the mother’s role is much bigger than that of the fathers’ . While the father is seen as the provider, the mother is the loving and protective figure. She is seen as sacrificing much of her time and energy to caring for her children. And for the Arabic mother, children always come first. This type of extreme sacrifice may not be a genetic condition but it is a society-imposed condition. It's what's expected from mothers in that region.  It maybe over exaggerated and imposing a status of inequality to some women, but being a mother is looked at as an “honor." Mothers are very proud of their title and they usually give up their names and are referred to as the mother of their first born son , Um “mother of” then name of the older son.

So during mother’s day celebration, special gifts are brought to moms and plenty of food is made and decorated. Mothers and children share laughs, memories and premises to love and be together for as long as it takes. Happy mother’s day to all the wonderful mothers out there.  And for my mom, I miss you so much.